


Wife of the World Eater

by BNZG



Category: No Fandom, Original Work
Genre: Archmage-Freeform, Conquered World, Cruel Giant, Drama, Escape Attempts Aplenty, Evil Sorcerer Husband, F/M, Fantasy, Forced Marriage, Giant/Tiny, Horror, Kingdoms, M/F, Macro/Micro, Magic, Maybe Isekai, Mentions of Vore, Politics, Scary Powerful Antagonist, Tyrannical Ruler, Unhealthy Relationships, Vore, husband/wife, maybe not, not really romance, sizeshifter
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-04
Updated: 2020-08-08
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:02:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,220
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25705576
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BNZG/pseuds/BNZG
Summary: Technically speaking, choice is but only a fragile illusion when your options are to marry the tyrannical conqueror of the world or have everyone and your kingdom you know and love get reduced to bloody stains or rubble.But on the bright side, there's some semblance of security in knowing that everything might be okay...Right...?Or alternate description: How to maintain your sanity when your husband is a sadistic archmage overlord with a penchant for size-shifting to gigantic heights to level entire nations and could literally end your life with just a snap of his fingers. Probably harder than you could imagine.
Comments: 9
Kudos: 39





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> BEFORE ANYONE ASKS: This was posted on one of my alternate accounts, AnonyLony, which is actually an account I made for non-G/T stories. I had forgotten I was logged onto that one and even forgot to put it on my DA page. So, in case you're wondering: 
> 
> AnonyLony: Future non G/T stories  
> BNZG: Exclusively G/T stories 
> 
> \---
> 
> Is it terrible that I got a thing for antagonists that have all the advantages and knows how to use them? Also, beware of vore, mentions of vore, violent destruction, swears a plenty, some sexual harassment, and the like. I love darker macro/micro or G/T stories with a tol male and a smol female. So, here's one of my own.

King Frederick Loramia the Third had once prided himself as a rather composed and rational king who managed a clear and calm head under great pressure, no matter how dire the trials that came for him and his kingdom. He ruled his country efficiently, always seeking for the betterment of his people and prized equity and justice above all, a noble feat that was more easily manageable due to the size of his relatively small nation of less than two hundred thousand people. He'd remained steadfast when prepping his men for the battlefield as he did in his own court, unshakable as a mountain. 

But at the very moment, he was anything but, as it took every ounce of his own formidable willpower to reduce the trembling of his hands at the grandiose doors of the meeting hall...

Where _he_ was waiting 

Queen Tallia, his loyal wife of over thirty-odd years, had been as astute as ever as she looked to her husband, her bright green eyes pinched in worry when she leaned towards her husband's ear and whispered, "Are you alright, my love?" 

"No." 

His response had been quiet, subdued, and filled with complete and utter fear. The same fear that the queen herself had been feeling as they waited outside the two golden doors, flanked by the Dietrich guards that stood at attention, their dark-silver helmets hiding whatever facial expression they may have had and their posture ordered and poised.

For a moment, Frederick pondered on what it was to be like to be in the boots of one the those guards. To be in the terrifying position to directly serve someone so absurdly powerful that the legitimacy of their position was questionable at best and unnecessary at worst, yet still be forced to accommodate to the needs and demands of their overlord. Surely their master could've have summoned an undead army to serve at his beck and call, or simply tap into his endless well of power to create what he needed, did he not? Perhaps it had been a play of power and authority to reinforce his claimed superiority over his subjects. 

After all, what fun would there be had if he didn't lord his domination of most of the world if he didn't use his people? 

That had to be the mindset and reasoning of such a being, Frederick thought. It most certainly had to be. 

The creaking sound of the doors opening brought him out of his morose thoughts as he was greeted by a young blonde woman with long ears ("An elf..." the king remarked mentally) in the standard female servant attire of the castle, her green eyes immediately falling upon the royal heads of the Elian Kingdom. She bowed at the waist as she addressed them, but her focus had remained primarily on Frederick as she spoke to him in a stoic yet deferential tone. "King Loramia, my excellency would like to see you now." 

Queen Tallia immediately gave a gentle squeeze to her husband's hand as he took a moment to breathe, bracing himself as he tried to retain his composure on what would be synonymous as entering a dragon's lair. 

Except this man was far more dangerous than any dragon he had ever heard of. 

He looked to his wife and mouthed "It will be alright," not quite believing it himself, as he regretfully let go of her hand and followed the waiting elven woman into the room, internally praying for his safety as he heard the doors close behind him with an audible thunk. 

The room was extravagant and opulent, even by regal standards. A golden chandelier holding a dozen candles lit the room in a golden hue, large rose windows, elaborate tapestries and paintings dominated the purple walls, and the ombre marble floor shimmering under the lights. It was easily more than double the size of the meeting hall in his own castle, if not even larger than his own throne room. The table and numerous chairs, made of fine wood and decoratively carved, took up the center of the room. 

And at the end of the table was Rohan Dietrich: The Grand Archmage of Darkness, The Conqueror of Nations, Overlord of All the Land, The Destroyer of Kingdoms, the Giant of Malice, and the "World Eater." 

By all accounts, the person sitting at the head of the table didn't really look like the type of person who would possess such impressive and intimidating titles, if Frederick was honest with himself. He looked like a young man, no older than his early twenties at most going by his surprisingly handsome yet boyish features, of average height and looked completely human, contrasting to the ogreish features he'd imagine such a ruthless and terrible being to have that was capable of such acts. He had a strikingly red messy mop of hair and fairly unusual periwinkle eyes that gleamed under the light. Rather than the typically bright and colorful regalia he'd worn by royalties of the world, he wore a rather practical dark garb with traces of silver aligned on his mantle and the steel-capped boots, attire that didn't seem to mesh with his reputation as a near omnipotent mage. 

But Frederick Loramia was no fool. He'd seen some semblance of what he could do. He had heard firsthand accounts the terrifying capabilities and cruelties this monster under the guise of man was capable of, with he himself having witnessed the aftermath of such horrors, and he wouldn't make the mistake as to see him as anything less. 

Especially with the lives within his entire kingdom on the line. 

Rohan was sitting with one leg over the other and one gloved hand propping his head, looking rather casual for someone who was going to determine the fate of the Elian Kingdom and the entirety of the populace's.   
  
The elven servant stood back at the door, pausing to bow courteously before exiting, leaving only the king and the monster in the room.  
  
The red-haired tyrant smirked at the sight of the slightly frazzled king. _"Finally._ About time you got in here. I admit you got guts for a small time royal who's never been on the front lines." His smile broadened imperiously as he gave the king a knowing look. "Well, I guess you're in no position to chicken out, are you?"   
  
King Frederick swallowed, the feeling of absolute dread threatening to overwhelm him.   
  
It had been a month since he had sent two envoys to the Dietrich Empire to give his nation's preemptive surrender ahead of time when he had declared he was going to take the nations of the east as his own by force, thus being one of the few to completely avoid a confrontation with the World Eater who devastated most of the world in his wake. And only a week ago that he received a summons to Dietrich's Empire. He was smart enough to make haste and prepare himself to make sacrifices for the greater good of his people.   
  
But he most certainly hoped that those sacrifices wouldn't be in the form of literal lives.   
  
Rohan gestured to a chair to the table. "Go on, sit sit. I don't have all day, ya know. I've already waited a whole week."   
  
Obediently, Frederick sat down. It had been a long time since he was given orders, let alone by anyone younger than him. That was, if Rohan was indeed younger than him. Rumors of the conqueror's immortality had spread about, even trickling into his ears, but there was so little known about this ruthless man that it was pretty much fruitless hearsay more than anything. However, it wouldn't be past the realm of possibility.   
  
Rohan's grin remained plastered on his face. "King Loramia..." he purred the name, but there was a condescending edge to it. "Lemme just say, you're a smart man. You know when to fold em' when you know who already has the winning hand. The other rulers could have learned something from you. Probably would have still have their shit in one piece if they had."   
  
"I figured it would be best to avoid conflict knowing that we are at an incredible disadvantage in both manpower and prowess. We simply do not wish to engage you if it means the preservation and safety of my people will remain intact." Frederick responded, trying to explain his reasoning in a pragmatic manner as both a way to display his lack of hostile intention to the archmage and to try to justify himself for his decision to give up without a fight. 

"Exactly, and that's why you're alive." Rohan said in a matter of fact fashion before dropping his arm and straightening in his chair. "Now, let's cut right to the chase and get down to business. You've surrendered yourself to me, but now I've gotta see see if you're really as committed as you say you are. Time to put your money where you mouth is."   
  
King Frederick nodded, steeling himself as much as he could. "I await your terms, your lordship."   
  
"Awesome," the red head held up three fingers for him to see. "cuz' I actually got three of them." He went to one finger. "First one, the Elian Kingdom will become a vassal state of the Dietrich Empire, with you answering directly to me from here on out. Am I clear?"   
  
"Yes, your lordship." Frederick agreed without hesitation. This was the most likely outcome he had expected from the terms of surrender. He had discussed it with his queen, his advisers, the council and vassals with it being near unanimously agreed upon that subjugating the kingdom to the authority of the Dietrich Empire to avoid opposition would be in the small nation's best interest. After all, it would be either that or the kingdom to be subjugated to an onslaught they had no hope of fighting off and being forced into being under Rohan's power after massive casualties and collateral damage had taken its toll.   
  
It was painful decision, but a fairly easy one to make, given the circumstances.   
  
"Good. Now, you're a small country so I'm probably not impose too much on ya unless I absolutely have to. So, I might just leave you alone for the most part, so long as you don't give me a reason to come over there. Aren't I fair?"   
  
Frederick didn't respond.   
  
The second finger went back up. "Second, you're going to reserve at least twenty acres of land for me to install one of my magic towers." His eyes narrowed deviously. "Oh, and of course, a residential area for my lil' council, if you don't mind."   
  
Frederick felt disgust well up within him. He had an idea that his kingdom would be joining one of the nations which already had a tower put in place, given that Dietrich seemed to place the towers on the furthest reaches of the world. One in Gremilia, set in the far north, one in Tersia of the northeast, one Hundrak of the Orc Nation in the far south, Vahon of the Southwest...   
  
And of course, Ibrasia of the West...   
  
...or at least, where it _used_ to be.   
  
The horrific tale of what became of what was the imperial capital of the western continent was well known among the rest of the world, a primary example of what would happen to those who ignored the tyrant's warnings and continued to oppose him, as well as a true testament to his power and cruelty. The incident that earned him the title of the World Eater.  
  
It had been nearly two years ago when he was on diplomatic business towards the Ibrasia's neighboring country, Hulii when he witnessed the sight from a distance.   
  
He had appeared quite suddenly, as quick as a lightning strike, before a great shadow encapsulated his traveling caravan and the terrace around them. It had taken him a moment to regain his bearings as displaced air had rushed at him, blowing his cape clean off his shoulders.   
  
An enormous dark humanoid silhouette of the conqueror that literally dominated the horizon of the morning sky, rising above the trees, rolling hills, villages, cliff sides and the very clouds, faded by the blue hue of the sky as he rose up to unimaginable heights, taller than the mountains themselves. Even an elder dragon, easily well over a couple hundred feet in length and one of the most powerful creatures in the world, would have been nothing more than a mere _gnat_ that could have been swatted like away like any insect. Visible from all directions as he rose up miles upon miles into the sky. He couldn't see the entirety of him as the colossus stood so high that he had to crane his neck to an uncomfortable angle to even attempt to see the back of his head. It just didn't seem real.  
  
And that had been from an entire country away.   
  
When the titan had taken merely one step, the simple movement made terrifyingly awesome as it was accompanied by the sound of rolling thunder in its ponderous speed before it created a calamitous impact; the ground shook and rocked relentlessly, the clouds dispersing from the intense shockwave around where his leg had landed. He himself had nearly been thrown off his horse who bucked in wild absolute panic.   
  
Without looking back, he and his guards had turned back to flee for their very lives, running on pure adrenaline filled fear and desperation. They ran like rabbits, frightened beyond all reason.   
  
He hadn't even bared witness to when the great giant reached down with a hand the size of an asteroid to scoop up the entire capital, from bedrock, ground, buildings, towers and castle itself, into his palm...   
  
...and _devour it_ , along with the seven-hundred and fifty thousand inhabitants that were there.   
  
And he was more than glad he didn't see it.   
  
It had been one of the most, if not _the_ most powerful nation in the world, with the greatest army known to man. And everyone from the peasants to the emperor himself had been reduced to nothing more than nutrients for this monster's appetite. 

The monster he was now sitting across from at the very moment.  
  
Now, in place of where Ibrasia once resided was an incredibly deep crater, hauntingly deprived of the population that was once there, which housed a single mage tower in the center where a basin was beginning to form.   
  
Before that event, many countries, nations and people had been talking about amassing a great army to attack as a sole unified force against the mighty conqueror.   
  
After it, those talks had became silent. 

Pushing back the memories of the event as best he could, he nodded his head in acceptance of the term. "I'll see to it that we will leave a plot of land for you to do so."   
  
" _Niiiice,"_ Rohan purred, seemingly aware of the king's trepidation, "I love it when a ruler had a good head on their shoulders to be so agreeable. Oh, and my third term?" When Rohan rose his third finger up, he had a devilish look on his face that made Frederick's blood run cold, "You hand over one of your fine-ass daughters to me."   
  
Frederick gaped, his face draining of color in an instant.   
  
"Wh-What...? What did you say?" He asked dumbfounded, the words coming out of his mouth before his mind caught up.   
  
"Oh? Did I stutter? Pretty sure I didn't. Here, I'll reiterate for ya." The condescension vanished before Rohan's gaze hardened. "You're going to give me one of your daughters to be mine to seal the deal. Did you hear me clearly this time?"   
  
At a loss for words, the king's mouth opened and closed with no sound coming out for several seconds. There were many things he had been expected to give up, even his own life, but to forfeit one of his own _children?_ Not once did he expect for it to come to that.   
  
All pride and appearances were thrown to the wind in an instant. The king hastily pushed himself from the table and chair and got on both his hands and knees in a pleading position. " _Please, Lord Dietrich!_ I beseech you! If it is a sacrifice that you want, please take my life instead! Spare my daughters, this I beg you!"   
  
_"Sacrifice?"_ Rohan raised an eyebrow in amusement, smiling at the display of the king bowing down so earnestly, "Who said anything about a sacrifice? And besides, I gotta put it out there, old man, but I'm not interested in your wrinkly ass, thank you." He tapped the ring finger of his left hand. "No, I'm saying that one of your lovelies will become my _wife."_  
  
The redheaded dictator sneered, leaning back in his chair to suppress the chuckles that escaped his mouth _. "Gods,_ if I _wanted_ a sacrifice, I could have easily picked one from one of the dissenters in the cells below. Much more fun to dick around with. Not some pretty dame too cute to pass up. Honestly."   
  
The king took a moment to recompose himself before leaning up, still confused at the supreme ruler's request. "Y-You want... you want one of my daughters as... your wife?"   
  
With a roll of his eyes, Rohan scoffed. "No, I want one of your daughters as a maid. I heard that princesses in your country are great with cleanliness and all that, and I just need a woman's touch to keep my bedroom in order and— _of course_ I want one of your daughters as _my wife!_ What's so hard for you to wrap your damn stupid brain around!? Matrimony. Tie the knot. Get hitched. How many ways do I have to spell it out for you?"   
  
Sensing the dictator's evident annoyance, King Frederick carefully worded his next words in his head before he voiced them. "P-Pardon me, your greatness, but...I truly do not understand. Surely a man of your caliber could easily claim any woman in the world to be your bride of your choosing, could you not?"   
  
"Damn right I could," said the archmage with a knowing smirk, "And I want _one of your girls._ Are you expecting me to waver on this point?"   
  
"It's just that, and please do not take offense your excellency, but you do not seem like the type—"   
  
"—To be interested in marriage?"   
  
King Frederick swallowed, hoping his presumptuousness of the archmage hadn't posed as a transgression worthy of punishment.   
  
His heartbeats seemed to quadruple in speed in his chest as he watched Rohan stand from his chair and walked towards him. Too frozen to move, he let out a startled grunt when the other man reached down and grabbed the back of his cloak with one hand before lifting the man off the floor like a small frightened kitten by the scruff of its neck.   
His face was brought directly in front of the tyrannical overlord's, whose smile had still remained wide with condescension. "Lemme make something clear to you, _Frederick."_ The tone was hard and filled with more authority than King Loramia had ever possessed in his entire life. _"_ You are not in a position to assume what I want or what I don't want. In fact, you have no power here. _None._ That's why I've been so gracious to actually let you enter through these golden doors for a chance for you to still have you and your tiny little kingdom live in peace. And right now, you're trying to convince me to change my mind on the third point.   
  
"But let's get one thing straight, here and now. My terms are non-negotiable. It's all or none. And your lucky that I haven't decided to just take all three of them for myself, go on a fun little rampage and flatten your whole country _into the fucking ground."  
  
_ There was a dangerous, almost otherworldly gleam in the overlord's eyes that Frederick saw which made him pale white as a sheet. Rohan wasn't lying at all, and his threats were _very_ real.   
  
While he had been careful, he hadn't been careful _enough._ Frederick had now truly grasped just how insignificant he appeared to the man before him. Rohan had easily grown to sizes large enough to trample anyone and anything underfoot when he chose to devastate insurgent groups and opposing forces like rodents, if not insects. It was very likely that was how the redhead saw him.   
  
His crown, his experience, his accomplishments... they all meant nothing to a man who razed entire nations and subjugated them with the ease of stomping anthills or smoking out rats.   
  
To Rohan, he was an insect. Only worthy of his attention because he could afford to listen to him or not, under the condition that he simply _felt like it._   
  
His arms and legs fell slack as he realized how little choice he had before this man. This living monstrosity.   
  
Rohan was certain he'd gotten his message across, but he leaned in more to emphasize his point. "So... _Freddy..._ do you accept the terms I've set for ya?"   
  
It was hard to keep his emotions in check as he realized just what he was about to do to preserve what was at stake. Even at that very moment, unable to stop quivering from the surge of emotions that went through him until they vanished in a desolate haze a few seconds later, he couldn't help but whisper a small, wet apology to his three children at home. "Iris, Daisy, Saffron...I'm so sorry..."   
  
He bowed his head in shame and regret.   
  
"I'm sorry."   
  
Rohan let go of the back of the cloak, allowing King Loramia to slump to his knees. He called out a name that Frederick hadn't paid attention to and heard the door of the meeting hall reopen. He didn't bother to turn his head to see who it was.   
  
He recognized the voice of the elven woman who had brought him in. "Yes, your excellency?"   
  
"Escort King Loramia and his wife to their quarters as I make arrangements to travel to the Elian Kingdom to choose my wife. Oh, and make sure he and his wife don't get any tears on my floor. If they're gonna cry their eyes out, make 'em do it in their fucking bedroom."   
  
A few seconds later, King Frederick felt a gentle hand lay on his shoulder as the woman carefully took his hand and helped him back to his feet. She helped walk him towards the exit of the room, where his queen was waiting, looking fairly distraught at the suddenly disheveled appearance of her husband.   
  
The doors behind him began to close before Rohan spoke, "Oh, and one more thing..."   
  
The king turned his head with some effort, dreading to hear the next words that would come out of his mouth.   
  
But Rohan's expression was patronizingly jovial as he gave the king a small wave, his smile filled with mock warmth.   
  
What the overlord said made him feel physically sick to his stomach.   
  
"Let's try to get along... _father in-law."_


	2. Chapter 2

The palace of the Elian Kingdom was relatively small as most castles go, but it was still a rather beautiful sight to behold with its white stone exterior standing starkly against the surrounding natural gardens and clear mote that surrounded its four walls. While not the most ornate or glamorous of castles, it had a rather humble interior that was mostly spartan of any grand decorations aside from a few flags and curtains.   
  
In one of the cabinets of the lower castle floor, Iris Loramia, the eldest daughter of the king and queen and first princess who would inherit the throne, was sitting on one of the satin chairs with her shaking hands to her forehead, her long blonde locks draping down her face. She tried again to calm her younger sister's nerves once more in a measured voice. "Daisy, throwing a fit isn't going to help anyone."   
  
Her plea went unheard, not for the first time. The aforementioned woman, the second daughter of the king and queen and the middle child, continued to pace fervently back and forth across the mahogany floors in frustration.   
  
"It's helping _me,"_ Daisy hissed, not slowing down a bit as she continued to make yet another round around the couch. Her hands were balled into fists that were held tightly against her side as her short heels clacked against the floor. "Besides, it's not like there's much we could do with mother and father in that damn _beast's_ lair..."   
  
Iris conceded with a sigh. "Yes, I'm aware. But you're only going to run yourself ragged at this rate. Wouldn't it be better if you took a seat to calm down?"   
  
"Sitting there, standing here...what difference does it make? Why should I be calm when there's a chance that both Mom and Dad will be back in _coffins?_ If even _that!?_ For all we know, Dietrich could have already killed them... _eaten_ them! And we wouldn't be none the wiser!"   
  
Iris moved her hands from her forehead to her lap. "Maybe so, but I doubt it. If he had wanted to take mother and father's lives, he wouldn't have gone through the trouble of having them go all the way to his palace. He would have invaded us instead like he had the others."   
  
"Please...can we not talk about _invasions?"_  
  
Both Iris and Daisy glanced at the wall to their youngest sister, Saffron, who was sitting in a fetal position in the corner of the room between the window and one of the drawers. She was hugging her legs tightly and had her head buried in her knees. She had long since stopped crying, now only trying to get a handle of her emotions.   
  
She peeked up a bit, her normally shimmering green eyes downcast. "It's just... I don't want to hear about them right now. Please..."   
  
Iris's expression softened as she got up from her seat and walked towards her youngest sibling. With slow and kind movements, she knelt down to Saffron and wrapped her arms around her in a gentle hug. On the cusp of leaving her teenage years at the tender age of nineteen, Iris had forgotten that in many ways Saffron was more sheltered from the dark realities that came of dealing with conflicts that she and Daisy had more time to get somewhat accustomed to. Especially of this magnitude.   
  
Daisy watched her two sisters huddle together in the corner before she gritted her teeth and scowled.   
  
It was hard to believe that the world had been thrown into such cataclysmic turmoil in a span of only a couple years.   
  
She had been walking in the courtyard, observing the knights' training routine with admiration when one of the maids had came to her, stammering and wheezing when she had ran down one of the gatehouse passages.   
  
It was when her family, the head guards and the nobles had been gathered in the great halls that she had learned that King Loran of the Terrarian Kingdom had been killed. Literally _swallowed whole_ by all eyewitness accounts, by a young man with ginger hair who had used magic to blow up the side of his castle and then increased his size that rivaled those of dragons and ancient tree spirits to gulp down the old king.   
  
At first, she thought it was a joke. After all, the idea of a king being dethroned by _cannibalism_ just seemed too preposterous. But the informant who was rattling on about the incident was still stone-faced and no one in the room had once even laughed.   
  
Then more reports came in without respite of cities and villages being single-handedly terrorized and destroyed by the same man who had seized control of the Terrarian Kingdom, which had soon been renamed after the supposed last name of the man who seized the nation by force, with each informant's faces becoming grimmer and grimmer as time went by. Stories of the conqueror leveling entire strongholds and annihilating entire armies until they surrendered didn't stop coming as the months passed by. She desperately began to hope that someone would break out into laughter and admit it was all just an elaborate joke, but she knew nothing so ridiculous would happen at that point.   
  
And then, there was the day that there father had prematurely returned from his diplomatic journey to the Hulii country in a wreck, lying down on the throne room's floor in a heap as he recounted the tale of seeing the mindbogglingly enormous figure of Rohan Dietrich from the distance, having been on the run for days on end to escape the startling sight of a giant so massive that he could create geological landmarks by simply _moving._ Never had she seen her father so shaken up before, and the sight of him in such a state of sheer terror truly set in just how dire of a predicament the world had been thrown into. The beginnings of a new world order that would usher in the age of darkness.  
  
Dehydrated and greatly exhausted, he and his entourage had spent the majority of the week recuperating as a constant flow of reports of Ibrasia's fate entered every ear in the kingdom and cementing the unprecedented danger such a man of inconceivable power possessed.   
  
To literally dig up an entire fortified city from its very foundation with one hand and then proceed to _eat it?_   
  
How could anyone even dream to go against an entity that was capable of doing such a thing?   
  
The entire capitulation of the western front followed swiftly. In a span of a few days, the entire western hemisphere of the world of Luraria had practically bowed down to their new ruler. And the countries of the east waited in absolute dread for them to follow suit.   
  
There had seemed to be an uneasy intermission of some sorts as Rohan took time to pause his conquest after that. A blessed intermission that felt was far too short for her liking. Even with the World Eater taking time to enjoy the spoils of his victory, no one was able to truly relax and the lingering seed of fear had nearly wormed its way into the hearts of everyone. The fear that he would come for them next once he was finished his rest period.   
  
And when two months ago when he had no longer felt satisfied with just _half_ the world under his control, justifying everyone's worst nightmare, he had declared that he was going to take the countries of the east next.  
  
As much as the decision pained her, Daisy had perfectly understood when their father had told them that he would send in a delegate to announce their surrender before the archmage had the chance to ravage Elia. After hearing the stories of what befell the places Rohan had went through, it was only pragmatic to do whatever was possible to avoid their situation.   
  
And thus, once Rohan had sent one of his messengers for the royal heads themselves to negotiate the terms of surrender, both of their parents left the same day they'd receive their summons.   
  
And now the three sisters could only wait for their parents to return safely...   
  
Hopefully...   
  
Daisy let out a growl of pent up rage, dragging a hand down her face before she quickened her step.   
  
It had been over two weeks since they had left, and today was to be their expected date to return. But dawn had now turned to dusk and the scattering of stars were beginning to overtake the night sky. With each passing minute, more worry began to build in the hearts of the three women as they remained in relative silence.   
  
Iris spoke to Saffron in a quiet voice, "Saf... I know this is a lot at once, but... we can no longer pretend that we're immune anymore. If... if things go wrong... we might need to—"   
  
_"No!"_ Saffron cried out, startling both of her older sisters as she pushed herself up to a stand, "I refuse to believe that anything bad's happened to mother and father! I won't believe it!"   
  
Iris tried to pat her thigh and shush her, "Saffron... This is hard, I know that. But we need to discuss what to do if the possibilities are—"   
  
"No! No, no no, no... I won't accept it!" The platinum blonde yelled, a resurgence of tears beginning to stream down her face, "It just can't be! We _surrendered!_ We _yielded!_ So he won't kill Mother and Father! He _won't!_ He _can't!"  
  
"Dammit Saffron! _We can't keep babying you anymore!" Daisy hollered, slamming a fist on one of the end tables. "This is reality, Saf! And there's a good chance that Mom and Dad might already be _dead!_ Because what they're dealing with...who they're trying to negotiate with... is a godsforsaken mass-murdering _monster!_ A monster we can't fight against! And we can't like everything is going to be the same like it was before! Because he's already _won!_ And the best we can hope for is that he has some iota of mercy so that we can at least hope to get out of this whole shitshow intact! Why can't you see _that!?"_  
  
Daisy was huffing by the time she stopped, with both Iris and Saffron giving her a wide-eyed stare of shock. Saffron's eyes began to water even more as more tears fell down her cheeks. She slumped back down into the corner and sobbed silently. Iris could only take her into her arms once more and allow her to cry on her shoulder.   
  
Daisy took deep breaths as her expression softened from anger to guilt and sadness. She fought off her own tears as she spoke, her voice filled with evident pain. "It's just... we have to prepare for the worst... and if we don't get ready now, then we'll be blindsided when... if it comes. We're in over our heads and..." she took a stuttering gasp, "...and we need to brace ourselves should the time come."   
  
"You're right," Iris said, her voice level and calm as she stroked her youngest sister's hair in comfort. "It breaks me to say this but...if surrender isn't enough, we will have to await something truly awful."   
  
There was a couple minutes of uncomfortable silence with the exception of Saffron's soft crying and the crackling flames within the fireplace. Daisy had stopped walking in place, deciding to take a seat on the wooden bench in the corner while Iris and Saffron remained bunched together in the corner of the room.   
  
Iris was the one to finally end the silence when she looked her baby sister in the eye to speak with her directly. "It's our fault. We've all been coddling you since you were the youngest of us. We didn't share much with you about the state of affairs because you were still new to the scene, with expectations for me to inherit the throne and Daisy to do so should anything happen to me." Her tone became more stern, almost unbefitting her normally soft demeanor. "But now, you're practically an adult and we can't afford to do that anymore. Now we're dealing with someone who can take everything from us, _anyone_ from us. Ignorance is no longer an option. Should we turn a blind eye to this, we may essentially be forfeiting our very own lives. Do you understand?"   
  
"...Y-Yes," the response came in stutters from the youngest sister, but her crying was beginning to subside. "I know. I... I think I've always known, but..."   
  
She finally looked up, her face scrunched in sorrow, "But...why is this _happening!?_ How could something... some _one_ so awful exist?"   
  
Both Iris and Daisy were silent. Neither elder sister could answer.   
  
Saffron went on, voice steadily rising in pitch, "This is just... _wrong!_ Its _all_ wrong! Things shouldn't be like this! It shouldn't be this...this... this dismal! And horrible! And frightening and terrifying and..."   
  
She breathed out before she let out a nearly inaudible whisper.   
  
"...and hopeless..."   
  
Iris's shoulders began to shutter when she felt another pair of arms wrap around her. Daisy's this time. He head brushed against hers as she leaned into the hug. Iris remained, bringing her arm around her other sister and brushing the moisture that had been gathered around her cheeks.   
  
The three sisters just stood there in a long and quiet embrace, saying nothing.   
  
It was several minutes later that the sound of someone marching down the hall finally brought the sisters back to the present. The door swung open to reveal one of the watch guards, who spoke immediately upon laying his eyes on them. "My princesses! The king and queen have returned!"   
  
Their was a palpable release of tension as the women all seemed exhale out of relief. A reprieve from their seemingly endless distress.   
  
Saffron let out a short series of nervous giggles as she wiped her eyes, trying to get her emotions back in check now that the wait was finally over.  
  
Daisy brought a hand to her cheek to let out a small laugh as she finally got her bearing straight. "Thank the gods..."   
  
Iris seemed to have recovered the quickest and gave the guard a grateful nod. "Thank you for telling us this. Are they alright? Are either of them injured?"   
  
"No, my lady. They arrived safely," the guard seemed to purse his lips a bit before he continued, "However, the king and queen would like for all of you to see him in the meeting hall. I've been informed that it is an urgent matter unfortunately."   
  
_"Urgent?"_   
  
"Yes, my lady."   
  
Iris looked back to her sisters, who also looked just as wary as she was, before she looked back to the guard, a sense of dread beginning to climb up out her heart and branch her sternum. After a few seconds, she replied, "Alright... we may know the way but... please be so kind to escort us there."   
  
"Yes, my ladies." The watch guard said and turned around, walking forward a bit with Iris behind him.   
  
The eldest sister turned around and gestured for her younger siblings to follow, and they did so almost immediately, faces masked in worry.   
  
It seemed that something may have happened during their visit to the Dietrich Empire after all.   
  


\----- 

When they arrived to the meeting room, the three sisters saw their parents standing at the other side of the room. Upon seeing them, all three women rushed forward to hug them. 

"Mother! Father! You're safe..." Iris said, shivering with emotion. "You're really safe..." 

"I know, my wondrous daughters. I know...." Tallia said warmly, kissing her daughters cheeks as though they were small children again. "We're so sorry we worried you." 

Frederick slightly tightened the hug around his three girls. "I wish the whole thing could have been avoided from the start. But at least we're here together for now. Safely." 

After a few warm seconds of embracing each other, they parted away from each other, with Daisy being the first to open up. "So... what's this about 'urgent business?' You just got here." 

She instantly regretted saying anything when both of her parents faces fell. It was at that moment that all three princesses knew that all wasn't as well as it seemed. 

Tallia's smile return, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. "The negotiations were fairly successful. Dietrich will not attack Elia." 

Their eyes seemed to simultaneously widen in realization of the magnitude of that statement. 

Daisy leaned up and gesticulated her arms in a open gesture, putting on a smile. "Wait, that's... that's _great!_ That's what we wanted! That means we're saved!" 

Iris asked, cautious. "We _are_ safe, aren't we?" 

Their father swallowed before looking down, finding it hard to make eye contact. "Yes...we're safe." 

His head lowered more as he whispered, "We're safe." 

All three princesses felt the growing nervousness form before return full force.

Something was wrong. 

Something was very wrong. 

Iris chewed her lower lip a bit, finding it a bit hard to voice what she wanted to say. "What... What happened at the Dietrich castle? Did he hurt either of you? Did he make you do something terrible?" 

The king let out a guttural sigh before he spoke up, unable to look any of his daughters in the eye. "Let's... let's sit down before we have this discussion." 

The young women looked to one another before they did so. The royal family sat at the round table, with the princesses looking on edge. Whatever happened during the negotiations didn't seem to bode completely well for the kingdom, or at least _them.  
_  
There was a few seconds of silence before the king straightened up, but still leveled his gaze to the tabletop. "For the Elian kingdom to remain unscathed, Dietrich had given us three conditions. They were non-negotiable, and thus, we had to accept all three for us to guarantee absolute safety." 

"Father," Iris said, reaching a hand to cover his in sympathy and comfort. "Whatever these conditions are, we'll understand. We know the position you were put in. Just tell us." 

"Beating around the bush isn't going to help in this case, Dad," Daisy said more straightforwardly, impatient. She crossed her arms over her chest and leveled a hard look. "You'll have to give it to us straight. What were the conditions?" 

King Frederick's frown deepened as he looked at his queen, who gave him a solemn nod, before he finally brought himself to look at his daughters. "Alright." 

He took a deep breath in before he finally gained the courage to open up. "The first condition was that the Elian Kingdom would become a vassal state of the Dietrich Empire." 

Daisy let out a sigh of disappointment, but she wasn't really surprised. "I figured as much that would happen. Still... damn." 

Saffron, who had remained mostly quiet, spoke up timidly, "Does that mean we'll be under their control from here on out?" 

"Essentially," the king confirmed, "but he said that he had no interest in running a country as small as ours, so we'll be able to remain mostly autonomous. So I do not have to relinquish all control." 

"Well that's nice of him," Daisy scoffed, relaxing more in her chair, or at least trying to. 

"That was within our expectations," Iris pointed out, "It was pretty much inevitable he'd place our country under his after we've surrendered. At least we didn't need to sacrifice any lives." 

The king steeled himself once more to go on. "The second condition was that we would leave a plot of land for the implementation of one of Dietrich's magic towers and a dwelling for the Council." 

Now that had slightly taken the princesses aback, as they looked to each and seemed to read their expressions to see that they had they had the same reaction. 

Magic towers were immense structures in the form of uneven obelisks that siphoned magic from the earth itself and harbored it in its internal structure like a bottle. They produced energy of the likes that could alter even alter the time and space around it should enough energy be stored within them. While none of the sisters had a natural proclivity towards magic, they had been well-versed in the uses of such things when they would be educated on interacting with those who were magically inclined such as mages and white witches to elves and fae. 

Still, it was a common fact that most native-born Elians didn't have the capacity to use magic, a rather unfortunate side-effect from living in a land that didn't align with the sun's "centerpiece" as the scholars called it. 

Which made it all the more puzzling as to why such a condition would be made. 

"A magic tower? Why? What good could one be here?" Saffron had asked, a question that had been on everyone's minds. 

"I do not know," Frederick answered truthfully. "And I didn't think it wise to ask as to not encroach upon his endeavors." 

Daisy squinted her eyes in annoyance. "Can't blame you for that one, Dad. But I'm more worried about the fact that he wants the 'Council' staying in our land." 

The sentiment was shared around the table. 

The "Council", or rather the Dark Council of the Dietrich Empire, or more simply the Dietrich Council or the Dietrich Cult, were an organization mostly comprised of mages that practiced the dark arts and worshipers of the Dark God Malumus. Having existed for hundred of years in secrecy, their influence and notoriety seemed spiked when Dietrich's world conquest began to take hold, with them seeming to latch onto the figure who ravaged the world from one country at a time. While most lived in absolute fear and trembling of the conqueror's wrath, the Council looked to him in awe and reverence, as though he was some sort of deity. They practically worshiped the ground he walked on as he began to take over Luraria, creed by creed, nation by nation; even giving him the title of the Archmage of Darkness and The World Eater. When he took notice of them, he'd apparently had seen potential in utilizing the legion of followers and decided to take them under his employ, tasking them to be his eyes and ears. 

In a way, they had become his enforcers, as well as his spies. Many rebellion groups had been violently quelled once a member of the Dark Council made it known to the others... 

...or worse, made known to Rohan Dietrich himself. 

Saffron felt the need to ask, "Do you think there's possible rebels in our midst, father?" 

"I would like to think not...or rather I'd wished to think not," Frederick quickly amended, feeling rather uneasy at the thought. "As much as I do not like what is happening, the thought that their would be those who would rebel and risk the lives of everyone in this country is a hard one to truly accept." 

The king took a second to gather his thoughts before he went on, his face darkening, "However, in all likelihood, there are probably a few people who wish to fight back against Dietrich's rule, but unfortunately I've been put in a position that I cannot allow their efforts to be put into fruition. By any means." 

The implications were not lost on any of his daughters on what his father would have to do in such a event, in order to insure the security of the kingdom of Elia. 

Daisy turned to her father, her tone tentative, "And the third condition?" 

Both the king and queen seemed to hitch upwards, as if stung by an insect. But then they settled, but an underlying haze of unease looked to have gripped them. 

This didn't help to calm the daughters whatsoever. 

"What..." Saffron asked, her hands gripping the edge of the table anxiously. "What is it?" 

Daisy leaned forward, chewing her lower lip before loudly demanding, "Out with it, Mom and Dad! If it's that bad, then we need to hear it!"

Iris was far more outwardly calmer than her sisters, but even she couldn't keep the feeling of her dread from coming out in her voice. "We've already gathered here to have this conversation because it was _urgent._ It's imperative that we should know now, lest we lose our initiative." 

King Frederick was shaking, and it was as though a feeling of imminent doom gripped each and every last one of them. 

he became flustered, unable to speak as though he was an infant again. But then he felt a slender hand land on his shoulder, the slender hand of his wife. She was looking at him empathetically, her eyes shimmering with moisture. 

Her voice was quiet when she whispered to her husband, "Should I be the one to tell them?" 

The king shook his head. "N-No... it's alright. It was a decision that I had made, and it is my responsibility to at least give them the respect from hearing it from me." 

The king took a shuddering breath before he looked at his daughters, finding it difficult once more to meet their concerned and scared gazes. 

"The third condition...." 

_He had to tell them._

"I..."

 _"I failed them."_

"I..." 

_"I don't deserve to be called their father."_

He finally got himself together, if for a few seconds, to tell them the truth. 

"I agreed, that in order for our country to remain safe, that I would give him one of hands of my daughters to him... in marriage." 

\----- 

_  
_ It was as if all the air was sucked out of the room. The princesses stock-still for several long seconds.

Everything suddenly felt cold, freezing over. Even time itself seemed to suddenly have slowed. 

Iris's normally calm demeanor was shattered, her eyes wide with undisguised shock and horror. 

Saffron had brought her hands to clasp fistfuls of her hair, her lower lips quivering. 

And then Daisy broke out into laughter. 

"Y-You're _joking!"_ she proclaimed in hysterical fits, grasping her sides as she continued to giggle uncontrollably. "You've _got_ to be joking! Good one, Dad!" 

Her shoulders shook with her uproarious laughter, as though she had been told the most hilarious thing in the world. But everyone in the room could see her breakdown for what it truly was. Her laughter contrasted greatly with the absolute dread in her eyes. 

She continued to laugh and laugh, her voice becoming raspy as she said, "C'mon Dad! Tell us that this is a joke! _Please!"_ A bit of desperation leaked out of her giggling fit. "P-Please tell me that you're truly making this up." 

King Frederick didn't say anything, only gritting his teeth harder until his jaw hurt. He let out a groan of remorse as he lowered his head, unable to bear what he had done. 

"By the gods..." Iris whispered, slowly shaking her head in disbelief as she broke out into a cold sweat. "It's true, isn't it?" 

"One of us... are going to marry... Lord Dietrich...?" whimpered Saffron, her breathing becoming more ragged. A hand clapped over her mouth as she barely managed to keep herself from breaking into a full blown panic. 

Iris rushed up to a stand, slamming her hands on the table. "But _why!?_ What does he want!? For what reason would he demand such a thing from _you!?_ From _us!?"_

  
"I-I wish I knew!" Frederick sputtered, his expression mirroring hers, "By the gods mercy, I wish I knew!" After several long seconds, he regained control of his volume, "But... he didn't give me a choice. And I tried... and believe me, I _tried_ to change his mind, but... he didn't... he _refused_ to give me the option."   
  
After a few agonizing seconds of silence, Iris limply fell back into her chair, white as a sheet. Anything else she had to say seemed to be lost in the air.   
  
It was Saffron who spoke up, her words jittery and strained. "Are our l-lives... being forfeited to him?" She gulped. "Are one of us going to d-die?"   
  
_"No!"_  
  
The princesses and queen jumped at the sudden outburst. King Frederick was leaning over the table, tightly gripping the edge so hard that his fingertips were tinged red.   
  
"No, you _won't_ die! _None_ of you will!" He yelled with as must conviction as he could muster. He would never forgive himself if he had discovered he had signed any of his daughters' death warrant. May the gods strike him down where he stood before anything came to that.   
  
Frederick breathed hard for a bit before settling back down. A complete mesh of emotions, he found it hard to keep himself from tearing up.   
  
Queen Tallia, who had remained mostly quiet as she watched her husband suffer in silence in those passing seconds, finally found it now imperative for her to speak. "It was as he had said. The terms were non-negotiable. All three of them had to be accepted for our continued welfare, and should we refuse any of them, our surrender would have been made null and he would surely come to bring us into utter ruin." Her eyes softened more and more, and then it became evident to both her husband and daughters that she was crying. "None of us would have agreed to this if we had any semblance of a choice. I promise you. The both of us would easily lay down our lives if it would make a difference but... Dietrich wouldn't allow it."   
  
No one said anything for a long time after that. The ticking of the grandfather clock was the only other sound besides the soft weeping. A heavy blanket of despair had left very little to say. And all any of them could was wallow in it with no way to lift it.   
  
Only minutes had passed, but it had felt like an eternity when someone had asked. "Which one...?"   
  
King Frederick barely lifted his head, his mind clouded with anguished thought. "What?"   
  
Daisy repeated herself, her face darkened with trepidation and intense dread, "Which one of us is going to marry him?"   
  
The king didn't say anything for the first few seconds, seconds that felt longer than they should have been. "He told us that he will come to Elia to choose one of you for himself, demanding that we make you three presentable to him two days from now at noon. Once he does, he will bring one of you to his Empire to prepare for the wedding ceremony."   
  
Two days...   
  
Only two days before one of them would be handed over to the hands of the World Eater.   
  
Only two days before one of them would be forced to live under the thumb of Rohan Dietrich.   
  
Only two days until one of their lives as they knew it would be completely over.   
  
_Only two days..._   
  
Their father's pulled into an open grimace, and he spoke with untold agonizing misery that broke their hearts.   
  
"Even though I'm the King of Elia, there's very little I could do for you. I wanted your futures to be filled with joy. For you to be _happy..._ and yet I'm handing one of you to a demon..." His shudders increased, and the depths of his heartbreak truly leaked out, "I'm so sorry... I'm so sorry... I'm so...."  
  
It was then that King Frederick Loramia finally shed the built up tears in front of his daughters.   
  


\----- 

"My lord, the Council have finished gathering the materials for the construction of the tower and are now en route to Elia." 

"Great," Rohan answered distractedly, not even sparing a glance at his personal attendant, his attention mostly focused on the five human men in front of him. 

Helena had to remember herself for a moment in order to keep her dread from showing from her demeanor as she waited beside the World Eater, her master, as he boredly rapped on the armrest of his throne with one hand. From the dais they were on, she could see him inspecting the five captives with mild contempt.

Tied up, beaten and bruised, they were forced to kneel in front of him with the blades of the guards' spears pointed at the back of their heads. Disturbingly, even with their heads forced to tilt to face the floor, she could see the mind-numbing terror in their faces. One man, she observed, had a black eye and broken nose with another with blood dribbling down his lower lip, no doubt from biting it from fear. 

Given their position, she could hardly blame them. 

According to the guard that brought them in, they were responsible for various crimes that she most certainly didn't think matched the punishment they were about to receive. Of course, she had no doubt that if she ever voiced such an opinion, she'd be joining them. While she greatly sympathized and pitied them, she still valued her life and wasn't going to do lose it in an action that would indubitably cost it. 

The Archmage addressed the kneeling men, his voice echoing within the expanse of throne room, "You know, most people would be smart enough to commit the crime of theft or treason in places like, oh I dunno, secret caverns? The wilderness? Maybe even in a different town or something," he sneered before he went on, "But not you dumbasses. Oh no. Somewhere, in that lump of dog shit you call a brain, you guys got the grand idea to try to raise a mutiny in the backstreets _right here._ In _my_ capital, right under my nose. That's a whole new level of stupid I've ever seen. I don't know if I should applaud your bravery or laugh at your idiocy."

One of the men, a balding man with a rather large jowl, lurched forward in panic as he began to babble loudly. "I'm innocent, my lord! I promise you! I wouldn't dare oppose you! I swear! It was the other four! They wanted me to join, but I was planning to refuse them and—" 

"And you can shut the hell up," Rohan cut him off with a snap of his fingers. A spark of blue energy erupted at his finger tips that sprung forward and struck the man in the chest, alighting him on fire. The man screamed in unbearable agony as he writhed and screamed in the haze of purple fire. The guard that formerly had his spear to the man's neck had backed up as the darkened figure of the burning man moved erratically in the flames before breaking apart into a pile of ash and carbon. Helena, the guards, and the other captives could only look in horror at the man's gruesome demise, unable to look away from the purple fire that had engulfed the man in seconds before dwindling down into wispy smoke. 

"As I was saying before I was so _rudely_ interrupted...," Rohan went on, already forgetting about the man he'd just incinerated, "I don't know if I should applaud your bravery or laugh at your idiocy. It's kinda funny really. Now normally, I'd just kill you all here and now and be done with it, but you know... I'm going to do something a little different, since I'm in a good mood. 

"You see... I'm planning to get married soon. Your ruler's gonna have himself a beautiful wife who'll be your queen. But believe it or not, as much as a shock as this might come to you, I don't have all that much experience with women. I mean in the romantic sense, not the 'running and screaming' one. In any case, since my days as a bachelor are coming to a close pretty quickly, I'm open to some advice on what to get for my bride-to-be for when I go get her." 

He straightened up a bit in his chair before leveling a look at them. "So here's the deal. Whichever one of you can give me the best recommendation on what to give her once we meet gets to live. Oh, and don't give me some stupid sappy shit like 'your heart' or 'undying devotion' and all that crap, or I'll torch your face off." 

The Archmage smiled brightly, "So... recommendations?" 

The four remaining men remained silent, absolutely flabbergasted. 

That changed when Rohan said, "Of course, If you got nothing, I could just do you all in right here and now." 

That snapped the men out of their stupefaction. 

_"G-Gold!"_ one man cried out, stuttering. 

"Money!" said the man with the black eye. 

"Jewelry!" 

"Chocolates!" 

"Flowers!" 

"Dresses!" 

As the men rattled on their suggestions ones after another, Helena frowned in disgust, feeling a bit ill. It was hard not to not feel a bit sickened at the fact that these poor men were forced to compete against each other for the chance to live, all on a whim of her sadist of a master. It was her sense of self preservation that kept her deep hatred of him from overwhelming her and keep her tongue. But even behind her carefully constructed stoic facade, her eyes beheld an almost invisible glint of resentment for the one she served. 

She immediately refocused herself when the overlord waved his hand for the men to be quiet. "Alright, alright. You guys gave me a lot of suggestions... _too_ _many_ suggestions actually. Geez, and they're all so damn basic too. So..." 

For the first time since the captured men had been brought to the throne room, he turned to the elf beside him. "Helena." 

Helena, having not expected to be addressed so suddenly, nearly jumped out of her skin when her master's purple eyes met hers. "Y-Yes my lord." 

"I've narrowed it down to two things and I want a woman's opinion," he said, idly tapping a finger against his cheek. "Give me your honest opinion. Necklace or rare flowers, which one?" 

Helena nervously glanced back and forth between the men, each one looking at her with a silent pleading expression, to the overlord who awaited her answer. When she swallowed, she hoped it wasn't too conspicuous for her master to notice before she deliberated on what to say. 

"I-I...I think both are excellent suggestions, my lord. She would most certainly be pleased by many gifts." She said cautiously, hoping her answer was adequate enough for him to consider. 

"Why am I not surprised?" Rohan gave her a short derisive laugh that made her blood turn to ice. "I had a feeling you'd say some shit like that. But I'm not looking to smother my fiancee off the bat." 

His smile didn't waver, but his expression darkened, a malevolent gleam in his eyes when he said, "Necklace or flowers, Helena. One or the other." 

Cold terror sprouted up her chest as she realized that her master wouldn't be gracious enough to even attempt to spare an extra life, forcing her to choose. She'd hope it wouldn't have come to such a thing, but in the back of her mind, she knew that her master wouldn't be so merciful. 

As the seconds went by, she could tell Rohan was becoming impatient, and that impatience could warp into wrath in so very little time. 

With the knowledge that she was going to condemn the rest of these men to their deaths, she was filled with self-loathing and remorse of her cowardice when she swallowed down the feeling of cotton in her mouth and said, "I... The princesses of Elia are named after flowers, so..." 

"Flowers! Got it!" He said merrily, the threat in his eyes vanishing as though they were never there. "Thanks a bunch, Helena!" 

He looked at the man with the blackened eye, giving him a rather unfitting smile of assurance, "It's your lucky day, pal! You get to live!" His gaze shifted to the guards and he simply said, "Execute the rest." 

The guards dutifully followed their orders, the cries of pain of the three other men filled the room as the spears pierced through them. 

Helena managed to barely keep her bile down at the display of violence as Rohan rose from his chair and went to the lone survivor of the group. 

The man was still kneeling, clearly shaken. He didn't seem aware of his surroundings, let alone Rohan stopping directly in front of him until the overlord clamped a hand on the man's shoulder, causing him to jump. 

He looked up, his one good eye streaming tears down the right side of his face. His lower lip quivered when he asked, "Am...A-A-Am I g-going t-to live?" 

Rohan's smiled with bright white teeth. "Sure does! You get to live!" 

The man shook for a little bit before a wisp of a smile began to grace his face. That was until he noticed the hand on his shoulder seem to take up more and more space, and to his horror, actually seeming to expand in size right in front of him. 

"Wh-Wha...?" The man whispered as he turned his head wildly, seeming to notice that everything seemed to be growing and rising, everything _but_ him. 

Helena watched in mute horror as the man continued to dwindle at an alarming rate, thrashing about in the overlord's tightening grip as he shrunk in size. Within a span of a few seconds, he went from the size of a man, to the size of a child, to the size of a doll... 

He had stopped shrinking once he was the size of a mouse, dangling helplessly by the shoulder between Rohan's forefinger and thumb. His wailing and screaming were drowned out by the archmage's chuckles before he turned to the guard that had once stood behind him. With a casual toss, he threw the man towards him and watched the armored man scramble to catch him. 

"Take Erelos's new test subject to the lab. And see how far he's come along with the latest batch. I'm sick and tired of hearing no results." 

With Helena's keen ears, she was able to hear the guard gasp beneath the dark helm before he bowed and spoke aloud. "Yes, my lord." 

"And the rest of you can get these bodies out of here and get back to your posts. Go on, snap to it," he said, waving them off as if they were dogs instead of people. They immediately bowed and carried out their orders as they dragged the fallen men out of the throne room, the other maids and butlers rushing in with cleaning materials to wipe off the trails of blood left by them, one sweeping the conspicuous pile of ashes into a dust tray. 

The elf imperceptibly shivered in place as she watched the other servants get to work on cleaning the floor, unable to look for too long without the intense guilt creeping up within her, the memory of her consigning someone to death playing in an unending loop in her head. In the mere century of her existence, she had seen more carnage and bloodshed in the recent span of less than two years than she had ever born witness to at any point in her life. All at the hands of one man. A truly mad and cruel man. 

For the first time in her life, she doubted the gods. If they truly did exist, then why didn't they stay his hand while he committed such atrocities? Why did they permit him to come to power? 

Why didn't they save her? 

"Ah, you know what?" 

Helena turned to her master, the Archmage of Darkness and the center of her hatred, her stolid mask slightly faltered. "Yes, my lord?" 

He returned to the dais in a walk before giving her a few pats on the shoulder as he sat back in the cushion of his throne, a terrible smirk on his face. "I was thinking, maybe you were right." 

He smirked morph into a large a wicked smile, and Helena felt her insides drop when he elaborated. 

"Maybe bringing both a necklace and some flowers is a good idea after all." 


End file.
